“Do you even remember how to play this?” Jihoon asks, tilting his head, as if it’ll help him remember how to play the drum game in front of him.

The mall bustles with people filling stores, buying food from the food court. Situated in a corner of the mall, the games arcade isn’t too busy. There are a few young families and a couple of young boys around - probably college kids skipping class or mucking around between classes. Jihoon remembers when that was them.

That morning, Seungcheol had suggested the arcade at the same moment Jihoon said he wanted to go. They had shared a playful grin over their small table in the kitchen, and Jihoon had felt like it was the old days again.

And here they were, standing in front of the first game at the games arcade.

In answer to his question, Seungcheol just shrugs and picks up the wooden sticks, handing the other pair to Jihoon.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Seungcheol murmurs, and then the game is starting and Jihoon flounders to start.

He ends up winning, because Seungcheol might have a slightly better sense of rhythm, but Jihoon has better hand-eye co-ordination.

They play the drum game a few times, then play shooters, and air hockey, and the basketball game. There’s a lot of yelling and the occasional shove of shoulders and bright laughter.

It makes Jihoon think of rainy spring days where they would spend their afternoons at game arcades much like this one. Sometimes it was just them, sometimes Soonyoung was with them, sometimes it was the whole group.

Regardless how many of them there were though, Jihoon would always be able to turn around and find Seungcheol by his side.

It was a comfort Jihoon didn’t realise he treasured until it disappeared.

Seungcheol wins a lot of tickets on the hammer game, missing out on beating the high score by a few points. He falls to his knees dramatically, while Jihoon just laughs, nearly falling over in mirth. They wait for the tickets to finish spewing out of the machine and talk about getting dinner at a nearby restaurant, just outside the mall. Seungcheol says he wants boba first and Jihoon just smiles as they collect their tickets. They choose pointlessly childish prizes like plastic water guns, and slinkies, and cans of silly string that Seungcheol immediately begins to spray in Jihoon’s hair. Jihoon gapes before grabbing the can and spraying him in return.

Seungcheol laughs as the two of them stumble out of the games arcade, Jihoon still trying to get silly string down Seungcheol’s shirt.

“Okay, okay, stop before security kicks us out or something,” Seungcheol laughs. He’s completely covered in silly string, compared to the measly few bits in Jihoon’s hair. Jihoon smirks, satisfied.

“Go get your boba, then we can go eat,” Jihoon says, pointing to the boba stand just a few metres away.

“You expect me to go like this?” Seungcheol asks, gesturing at all the silly string. Jihoon smirks.

“Yes,”

Seungcheol grumbles but trudges off and Jihoon laughs quietly to himself as he sits on the nearby bench. He’s picking out the last bits of silly string from his hair when a couple of guys approach him.

“Hey cutie, you and your brother want join us for some other games?”

Jihoon blinks up at them, confused.

“Sorry, what?”

“Games,” the guy says again, “we were watching you guys play in the arcade, and were wondering if you’d like to join us for some other, more fun, games.” He flashes a wolfish grin.

“Jihoon?” Seungcheol appears behind the guys, boba drinks in hand. He’s pretending to be casual, but Jihoon can tell from the look in his eyes that he’s wary.

“I was just asking your little brother here if you two wanted to join us for some other games,” the first guy says, a wicked grin on his face. “You know, the fun kind,” and he sends Jihoon a dirty wink. Jihoon feels a cold shudder run through his body.

“Brother?” Seungcheol echoes. “He’s my husband,”

The other guy scoffs. “Yeah, right,” and the first one snickers too.

Jihoon raises his left hand to show his wedding band. “We’ve been married for six years,” he says bluntly.

The two guys make faces, almost as if they’re disgusted. What at, Jihoon doesn’t know, but there’s an uncomfortable feeling settling in his stomach.

“What the hell? You two don’t act like you’re together at all,” the second guy says. “Are you even dating?”

“We’re married,” Seungcheol grits out, and his grip on their drinks tightens. “Please leave, we’re not interested,”

“You’re weird,” the first one says, taking his friend by the arm and tugging him away, “forget we asked. We wouldn’t want to be around you anyway.”

Seungcheol is frowning and Jihoon feels sick. He’s realising why he feels uncomfortable - because he agrees with them. He and Seungcheol don’t act like they’re married at all. Friends maybe, or brothers, but not married.

They’re right, Jihoon thinks, resignation seeping into his chest. They don’t act like they’re together, why should they keep pretending they are? Marriage is a label on a love that they no longer share.

Someone once said the opposite to love wasn’t hate, it's indifference. And Jihoon is pretty sure all he and Seungcheol share now, all that they’ve shared the last few years, is indifference.

“ - hoon. Jihoon.”

Jihoon is snapped out of his thoughts as he feels Seungcheol’s grip around his arm tighten. “You okay?” he asks, concern marring his features with a frown. The drinks are on the bench beside him.

“Yeah,” Jihoon says, carefully extracting himself from Seungcheol’s grip. He takes a deep breath before he grabs one of the drinks and takes a sip.

Seungcheol frowns mor